Water driven rotary brush



1955 A. c. BARDON 2,723,407

WATER DRIVEN ROTARY BRUSH Filed July 1, 1955 Aubrey 6. Bordon ATTORNEYUnite S 3 ..$1

2,723,407 WATER DRIVEN ROTARY BRUSH Aubrey Clyde Bardon, Tuscaloosa,Ala. Application July 1, 1955, Serial No, 519,37?

3 Claims. (CI. 15-24) This invention relates to cleaning including bybrushing and scrubbing and flushing with water and inoludes theequipment employed for such operations, particularly where surfaces tobe cleaned are dirty ormuddy and which require both wetting and brushingin order to remove the accumulation thereon.

The invention relates to a water driven rotary brush which can beattachedrto the end of a flexible water hoseand used for washing anautomobile, or other object, to thoroughly brush the surface and flushsuch surface with water to clean the same.

Rotary brushes operated bythe force of water have not been satisfactoryfor various reasons including the fact that they were too complicated,there was not the proper relation between the areas of the brush surfaceand the amount of water supplied, or else the full and necessary forceof the water was not sufiiciently utilized for rotating the brush.Further, the exposed portion of the brush was located so that water wasdischarged in a manner to cause wetting of a relatively wide area andthe operator, instead of being confined to an eifective area which itwas desired to wash.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the disadvantages aboveenumerated and to provide a simple and inexpensive water driven rotarybrush with a handle by which it can be conveniently manipulated, suchhandle having a connection at its outer end for attachment to a flexiblewater hose so that water supplied therefrom through the handle will bedischarged against vanes of an impeller brush unit with the impellerlocated centrally thereof but constructed so that the bristles spreadand provide a unitary or solid operating area of the brush body. Ahousing is provided for the brush unit, said housing having an openingthrough which the operating portions of the brush are exposed. A gasketis located around the opening in the housing to prevent injury to anysurface to which the brush is applied.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingwherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of the inventionand the use of the same;

Fig. 2, a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3, a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Briefly stated, the present invention is a water driven rotary brushwhich can be attached to the end of a flexible water hose and used forwashing the surface of an automobile or other object where it is desiredsimultaneously to brush as well as flush the surface with water forcleaning. A combination impeller brush unit is provided, including a hubon which blades are located in a generally radial direction. At eachside of the blades are rotary brushes, the bristles of which unite toform a solid body for application to a surface to be treated. Theimpeller brush unit is mounted in a casing having a rubber lippedopening through which the bristles of the brushes project. In the centerof the casing on the side remote from the opening is a radial handleslot with a curved plate beneath and closing the same but permittingangular adjustment. A" discharge tipis provided'to discharge water ontothe lower portion of the impeller to rotate the brush to cause theexposed portion to move away from the operator so that water will not bethrown onto the operator. The discharge tip is carried by a yoke havingperforated extremities in which the spindle of the device is located sothat the yoke and an attached handle may oscillate through an arccorresponding to the length of the slot in the casing. The side platewhich closes such slot is attached to the discharge tip and the upperend of the tip extends through the yoke and has threads on its upper endattached to the handle through which water can flow from a flexiblewater hose attached to the outer end of the handle.

With continued reference to the drawing, the device of the presentinvention comprises a water driven rotary brush including bristles 10for brushing the surface of an object to which they are applied. Thebristles 10 are mounted in two annular groups side by side in openings11 in spaced parallel supporting disks 12 of substantial thickness andcarried by a hollow hub 13.

Between the disks 12 there are mounted a series of impeller blades 14against which water or other fluid is adapted to be directed forproducing rotation of the impeiler brush unit or Water motor. Theimpeller brush unit is supported by a sleeve 15 on a spindle or bolt 16having a threaded end 17 for the attachment of a nut 18.

A house or casing 19 is provided for the impeller brush unit having anopening 20 in which the bolt or spindle 16 is received, and about theopening 20 the housing or casing may have a reinforcing boss orthickened portion 21 to strengthen the casing in the area in which it issupported. The opening 20 in the housing 19 has a thickened lip 22 aboutwhich a gasket 23 is disposed for preventing injury to a surface towhich the brush is applied.

As disclosed in Fig. 2 the bristles project a substantial distance fromthe casing so that they may flatten onto the surface area to which theyare applied and at the same time water within the casing will drive theblades of the impeller and simultaneously flow transversely between thebristles so that adequate water can be supplied to the operating brusharea.

In order that water may be admitted, an opening in the form of a slot 24is provided in the wall of the casing and a curved plate 25 is providedin order to permit adjustment but close such slot, such plate having anopening 26 for an angular discharge tip 27 located in a position todischarge water onto the blades 14 of the impeller.

The discharge tip 27 is carried by a yoke 28 having perforatedextremities 29 in which the bolt or spindle 16 is located so that theyoke may oscillate through an arc corresponding to the length of theslot 24, the plate 25 being attached to the tip 27 so that it is held inplace and is slidable within the casing 19. The yoke 28 has a threadedopening 30 in which the tip 27 is located, such tip having a shoulder 31which engages the under side of the yoke to form a stop.

The outer end of the tip is provided with threads 32 which engage thethreads 30 and onto which threads 33 of a handle 34 are attached, theupper end of the handle being provided with a coupling 35 for theattachment to the coupling 36 of a flexible water hose 37.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that when the handle 34 isgripped in the hand and the device is applied, the bristles 10 willspread over the fender or other surface portion 33 of the automobile orother object being cleaned. At the same time water flowing through thehose 37 and the handle 34, will be discharged through the tip 27 onto oragainst the impeller blades thereby producing rotation of the impellerbrush unit, the bristles of the brush being supplied with water toperform the cleaning operation.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isillustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but onlyas indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A water driven rotary brush for attachment to the end of a flexiblewater hose and usable for brushing a surface and flushing the same withwater for cleaning, comprising a spindle, a hub rotatable on saidspindle, an impeller brush unit mounted on said hub having an impellerbetween rotary brushes, a housing for and of a configuration to snuglyreceive said impeller brush unit and having a brush exposing opening inone side and a slot in remote relation thereto, an internal plate forcovering said slot and having a central opening therein, a discharge tipfixed in said central opening and having its inner end eccentricallydisposed below the axis of the impeller to cause the lower surface ofthe latter to move forwardly away from said tip, a yoke having its endsjournaled on the ends of said spindle and connected to said dischargetip, a handle connected to the outer end of said tip, and means forconnecting a flexible water hose to the outer end of said handle forsupplying water to said impeller brush unit to produce rotation of thesame and to flush the brushed area, and a gasket about the opening insaid housing to prevent marring the surface of an object against whichthe brush is brought into contact.

2. In combination, an impeller, a rotary brush at each side of saidimpeller and connected in a manner such that when said impeller isrotated the brushes likewise will be rotated, said brushes being of adiameter substantially greater than said impeller so that the free endsof the bristles of one brush will overlap the bristles of the otherbrush and overlie said impeller, and a housing for said brushes andimpeller of a size and configuration to snugly receive the same, saidhousing having a brush-exposing opening in its circumferential portionin spaced relation to said opening, means for supplying water underpressure to said housing against said impeller nearer one end of saidopening than the other for producing rotation of said impeller andbrushes and in a manner such that when the brushes are rotated they willhave a tendency to discharge water away from instead of toward saidhandle.

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of spacedrotary brushes and an impeller between the same, the bristles of saidbrushes being of a length such that when in use the operative area ofthe brushes will overlap and combine substantially as a single brush, ahousing for said brushes and impeller having a discharge opening forexposing the bristles of the brushes at one side, and a water-supplyinghandle at the opposite side of said housing having a discharge portionarranged to discharge water eccentrically against the lower half of theimpeller to cause it to rotate and with such lower portion turning insuch discharge opening in a direction away from said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS978,461 Linegar et al. Dec. 13, 1910 1,053,035 Houghland Feb. 11, 19131,817,644 Pope Aug. 4, 1931

